


At the Risk of Sounding Cliche

by TurnUps



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003), Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Jazz Music, Sleeplessness, dorky dancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-05-01 14:17:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5209025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TurnUps/pseuds/TurnUps
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>RoyRiza fluff/angst oneshot. Riza Hawkeye is awoken by Hayate scratching at the door, revealing none other than Colonel Mustang. From the 'I Can't Sleep Prompt' and Mustang PTSD Headcanons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At the Risk of Sounding Cliche

The phone by her bedside didn't wake her when it rang three times. The feverish knocking at the door didn't wake her. No, it was Black Hayate's whining that woke her up.  
She stumbled from her bed, pushing all her hair back with one hand so that she could see and headed to the front door of her flat. The tap was dripping and she'd left the light above the oven on. Upon seeing her coming, Black Hayate scratched at the door frame.  
Riza frowned and picked him up under one arm, balancing him on her hip as though he were a child. If she brought him into her room then he would settle down for the rest of the night. She was just turning to go when the knocking started up again.  
Fumbling with the keys, which were always left on the inside lock of the door, she opened it irritably. She'd been hoping to get a good night sleep on her first day off in ages, but to no avail.  
Riza was ready to give the caller a good telling off, but she paused when she saw who it was. Her eyes, half stuck from sleep, were fully awake in the next moment and she let Hayate down to jump up at the visitor, who scratched him behind the ears absently.  
"Colonel," she breathed, too sleepy to talk properly. She should have been embarrassed that she was standing in front of her commanding officer in sweatpants and top from the men's section. That her hair looked like she'd been crawling through hedges (she knew because she'd experienced that first hand). That she still had on rabbit slippers and a blanket half stuck on one shoulder. But this wasn't the first time.  
"At the risk of sounding cliché, I couldn't sleep." Mustang's voice was low too and he tried a shaky smile.  
Riza raised an eyebrow despite herself, leaning her hip ever so slightly on the door frame. It was different when they weren't in the office. They were equals. They were friends.  
"Since the weather's been so great, my neighbours decided to have a...barbecue." He continued. His tongue rolled around his mouth like the words were scattered around. Riza's mind clicked the information into place and her heart twanged for him.  
She simply nodded and stepped back, like a secret password had been spoken.  
"How many sweeteners?" she asked, letting the door swing open further. Mustang caught it, tapping his leg as he entered her flat to bring Black Hayate in too.  
"Just the one," he replied, watching her hair ripple as she pushed it away form her face again.  
Riza was already making the coffee as he sat down at her scrubbed table. Her arms moved almost mechanically, automatic movements that should have taken place when the sun was up. The clock on the oven said that it was half two. They'd both be very tired in the office tomorrow morning. Mustang would fall asleep at his desk. Normally a joke at the office, there were deeper reasons behind it. At least he was able to sleep nightmare free there...  
The silence was interrupted by electric buzzing and the eventual hissing of the kettle. They rarely needed words when this happened. More like, they couldn't find the right words when this happened. Black Hayate was still wagging his tail at the Colonel expectantly and the man visibly relaxed as he petted his head.  
Mustang pulled the coffee towards him, Riza's hand lingering on the handle just a moment more than it should, having the same effect as her dog. She sat down opposite him, her hands cradling her own mug.  
"I assume it was hot dogs?" she asked quietly. To break the silence and relieve him of his burden. Her hair was slipping around her face for the third time and Mustang's eyes fixed on her hand pushing them back once more.  
He just brought himself to nod and Riza knew it was because he didn't trust his voice. She knew he was reliving the sights, sounds and smells. Not just of the barbecue - of Ishval.  
"It's not getting any better?" Riza's voice was even smaller. Even thinking about it caused some of her own unwanted memories to return.  
"You?" Mustang evaded her question.   
She shrugged and took a sip of her coffee. It was still too hot and her tongue felt burnt.  
"At least Lieutenant Fury's stopped dropping heavy boxes everywhere." Her voice felt rusty, but it was stronger than before. It helped somewhat, just telling someone else.  
Mustang nodded, his gaze returning to his own coffee.  
The silence fell over them again, thick and heavy this time. How could either of them go on from here?  
Riza eventually found her gaze wavering back up to the Colonel's face. His dark eyes seemed empty and she knew that he wasn't sat in her kitchen. He could have been world's away now.  
She hated this. She hated not knowing what to say or do. She hated having this weakness in herself. She hated her memories - her guilt. She even found herself hating Mustang for making her so internally at war. Heck, she hated him for doing this to himself.  
"Enough of this," Riza muttered, surprising herself by snapping the words out. Her chair clicked across the floor as she stood up abruptly, heading back to the counter.  
She grabbed the radio there, fiddling with the switches until it tuned into one of the few stations that played music all night. Then she spun the volume up as high as it could go. Screw her neighbours for the night.  
Mustang was staring at her. She wasn't sure if the surprise came from her behaviour, or if he was just coming back to reality. Whichever it was, the blank look was gone.  
Riza fixed him with a stern gaze of her own.  
"Let's stop thinking about it." She said. Quietly. Confidently. Crackly jazz music played in the background as they stared at each other.  
Mustang's lips curled ever so slightly in a coy smile.  
"Yeah," he said softly.  
He stood up, angering Black Hayate (who had been sat on his foot). Then he headed over to the counter too, almost hesitantly. Like he was trying out his feet.  
"I know this song," he added, the little smile still there, his fingers gracing the top of the radio for just a second.  
"It doesn't surprise me," Riza replied, a small smile of her own starting to form. The song had always reminded her of the Colonel.  
His hands were still shaking, Riza realized with a frown. Without really thinking, she lay her hands over the tops of his, steadying them.  
Mustang's gaze dropped to them, then he turned his hands over, interlocking their fingers. They both squeezed each other tightly. Unspoken reassurances.  
And then Mustang's smile grew more genuine. He pulled Riza closer to him, pulled her away form the counter, starting swaying slightly.  
She let him.  
Riza abandoned her slippers on the floor as they continued swaying, almost hypnotically. Her eyes couldn't quite meet his eyes, focusing instead on his smile. It was an insane thing to be doing so late at night, but they were smiling. They weren't focused on ghosts of the past.  
And that, right now, was enough.  
She let him bring her backwards and forwards in goofy dance steps that she'd seen at parties. The kind of dancing she never thought she'd find herself doing. But it was fun. It was easy to forget about everything. And that was what she wanted.  
Mustang spun her under his arm and she let out a laugh, her blanket falling to the floor. He laughed too, the demons forgotten, pulling her even closer. He was warm, alive - happy.  
Riza rested her head on his shoulder as the song came to a close. They were still swaying.  
"Thanks, Lieutenant." Mustang muttered. She could feel his mouth in her hair and squeezed his hands once more, before letting go and hugging him.  
"Riza," she corrected.  
"Lieutenant," he repeated, returning the hug.  
"Okay," she chuckled.  
He was back to his regular self. For now.

**Author's Note:**

> THIS WAS ORGINALLY ON MY FANFICTION.NET ACCOUNT: FANTASYGIRL1999, BUT I'M MOVING IT OVER HERE FOR ORGANISATION. I CONFIRM THIS IS MY WORK.
> 
> A while ago, I wrote a different Royai fic (that I didn't end up posting) and, like now, I could barely bring myself to call Mustang 'Roy'. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ I like to think that, because it's 3rd person but in Hawkeye's point of view, she would think of him as Mustang instead. (Or maybe I just can't write Riza as Hawkeye because I see her in purple with a bow. :I)
> 
> The PTSD headcanon post: http://turnupsandmanga.tumblr.com/post/127069963502/ptsd-headcanons-ed-elric-roy-mustang  
> The Jazz Song was 'I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQQfK8Bqkw0
> 
> Disclaimer: I do Not Own Fullmetal Alchemist


End file.
